


Angelic Stray

by teatimetaemint



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 07:29:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3241391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teatimetaemint/pseuds/teatimetaemint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun had never considered falling. Not until Luhan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Angelic Stray

Sehun had never considered falling.  
  
Leaving it all behind and starting anew sounded exactly right to him, but despite everything, the thought of having his wings ripped out, followed by banishment to the ground – with no identity, no powers, nothing – just seemed like too much of a risk. Instead he had only ever wished for three things and of course, those were the exact three things he could never have.  
  
Silence. Solitude. And more silence.  
  
Life was never completely quiet for Sehun. Even when he was alone, the way he had always preferred it, there was the constant background noise, the grating, static buzz of human thoughts, their wishes, worries, things they were most afraid of. And it was driving Sehun crazy. He didn’t want them there, didn’t want to know, never had and he was pretty sure he never would.  
  
Of course there were people that probably thought he _should_ want to know, and had a certain responsibility to make the wishes and fears of humans his concern. He was an angel after all. But Sehun cared about those opinions as much as he cared about human politics or the weather forecast, so it was a good thing there was no angelic law that told him he had to use his powers to help humans. It wasn’t as if there were that many rules to begin with. Basically they – whoever _they_ were (Sehun still didn’t know) – didn’t give a damn as long as you adhered to two simple rules:  
  
1\. _Don’t use your powers to hurt someone_. Which was a pretty damned useless rule, because angels actually _couldn’t_ use their abilities to hurt people, their powers simply didn’t work if they tried to use them for malicious or harmful intent.  
2\. _Don’t let anyone know your true identity_. That was the one rule they were really pissy about. Disobey and the result was immediate exile from ‘heaven’.  
  
So contrary to popular belief, angels didn’t _have to_ help people. All of them had the powers to do so, most of them the natural propensity for it, but there was no law that dictated it - which suited Sehun just fine. He still remembered the conversation he’d had with Joonmyun a few months after waking up as an angel with nothing but a name. No memories, no recollection of who he was or who he was supposed to be.  
  
“So is someone going to come for me if I refuse to use my powers for the greater good?”  
  
He had almost spat out those last two words, resentment a heavy, cold weight in his gut, eyes unfocused as he stared down at the chaos that was Seoul at noon. The older angel had let himself sink down next to Sehun and put an arm around his shoulder. The younger man had stifled the urge to shrug it off and move away. Even back then he hadn’t liked being touched, hadn’t liked other people getting too close; but Joonmyun was a powerful angel and pissing him off had seemed like a stupid thing to do.  
  
“That’s not how it works, Sehun. This isn’t your job, no one is forcing you to do this. It’s supposed to be your second chance. You did something in your previous life, something good, something admirable and this is your reward.”  
  
Sehun had felt anger bubbling up inside of him at those words. Anger and that familiar conviction that this wasn’t where he was supposed to be.  
  
“So having all those voices in my head, existing for the sole reason of assisting and helping others is my _reward_?”  
  
The look Joonmyun had given him at that still haunted him. There had been pity, a knowing kind of patience and another elusive emotion he couldn’t quite grasp. Even though seven years had passed since that conversation, the meaning still evaded him, but at this point, Sehun had simply stopped caring.  
  
Since then he had learned numerous new things.  
  
No angel looked like they had in their previous life, even though some of them awoke with their old name.  
Angels were the closest thing to immortals on Earth. They were powerful, magical creatures, but even though they _could_ be killed, it was a difficult deed to accomplish. Very, very difficult.  
  
Not every human that did something good became an angel after death. There were many theories, but the most plausible one ascribed the reincarnation as an angel to the dying person’s burning wish to live, his or her unwillingness to give in to death, and their aspiration to help people. This theory always had Sehun wondering what he was even doing there. If it was true what Joonmyun had told him, that angels retained the personality of their previous existence, Sehun was either the exception to the rule or he had, in fact, always been an egoistical asshole. He wasn’t entirely sure which alternative he preferred.  
  
Blowing the silvery blonde fringe out of his face and huffing in annoyance when it settled right back the next moment, Sehun forced his mind away from those thoughts and watched another angel set down a few feet away from him without giving him a single glance. Sehun made a habit of staying away from his fellow angels as much as possible and after a while most of them had started doing the same. It suited Sehun just fine, as it had the other man walking away towards the angelic stronghold that sprawled out behind him, bustling with activity even this late in the night. It wasn’t as if angels needed that much sleep and there were always things to be done for his brethren and sisters. There was a constant coming and going, the crackling of magic in the air currents and the sense of purposefulness that had always rubbed Sehun the wrong way. Just another thing telling him that this wasn’t where he belonged.  
  
_Joychilds_ , mostly new angels that were tasked with bringing joy to the humans. _Guides_ , like Sehun, who had the power to actively alter and improve the life of humans that had earned their chance. And finally the _guardians_ , guardian angels looking over their humans and keeping them out of harm’s way. They were all moving in and out of their homes, walking to the edge of the stronghold to take flight or coming to soft landings after finishing their work for the day.  
  
Sehun didn’t have to turn around and look to know all this, after all it was the same thing every day. Day after day after day. Always the same routine, always the same angels doing the same things over and over again. With his back turned, feet dangling over the edge so he could look down on the sprawling lights of Seoul at night, Sehun stuffed his free left hand into the pocket of his hoodie - disgusted with the entire situation.  
  
There were angelic strongholds like this floating over almost every major city in the world, high enough to overlook the entire city, strong magic keeping them in the air and veiling them from human eyes. From what Sehun had been told, humans simply couldn’t see them, they could be directly staring up at them and see absolutely nothing.  
  
He had always found the notion of angels walking around and living on clouds more than just slightly ridiculous. They were just masses of tiny droplets of water and he wondered how humans had ever gotten the idea clouds could be someone’s home, but then they tended to come up with the most harebrained theories. Which was just one more reason why Sehun had no inclination to waste his time helping them, scoring the city for people that had earned a push in the right direction.  
  
Well, _almost_ no inclination.  
  
Taking a slow pull on the cigarette between his fingers, one taken from the pack he had ‘borrowed’ from Jongin, Sehun held the smoke in before breathing it out in a steady, thin stream. Truthfully ‘borrowing’ was a bit of a misnomer, as they both knew Sehun never returned the packs he 'borrowed'. Fortunately, Jongin didn’t care. Calming his mind as much as possible, Sehun gave free reign to his gift, flinching under the sudden onslaught of human thoughts before he got it under control and faded the voices out to concentrate on a single, familiar mind. He would never admit it out loud, but he felt the usual wash of relief when the biggest worry he detected on Jongin’s mind was whether Yixing would like his birthday present or get scared off by the surprise he had planned. As Sehun could read his friend’s boyfriend’s wishes and fears just as easily, he knew Jongin had nothing to worry about there.  
  
Still, he knew that Jongin was a chronic worrier, overthinking literally everything, so he wasn’t bothered by the panicked anticipation on his friend’s mind. A year ago there had only been the shallow wish for the next fix and the deeper, all-consuming plea for the pain to end, so this was better. So much better.  
  
Sehun had met Jongin for the first time on one of his routine nightly flights over Seoul. He liked to glide as closely over the rooftops as possible and even though he hadn’t allowed for any clear human thoughts to penetrate the stubborn wall he had erected around his mind, it had still been impossible to miss the slumped form in the alleyway. To this day he still had no idea why he had landed and approached the body, to see if the man was still alive, but Jongin was lucky he had. He had maybe been five steps away from him when the young man, he couldn’t have been much older than twenty years, had suddenly opened his eyes, looked at him with clouded eyes and asked in a surprisingly calm and clear voice, “Are you an angel?"  
  
Panic had slammed up inside of Sehun, but he had somehow played this off, “Jesusfuckingchrist, are you drunk?” The curse had rolled easily off his tongue, making the slumped man give a bitter scoff.  
  
“No, not drunk, but the drugs probably aren’t helping.”  
  
That was when Sehun had felt the sharp tug in his chest, the uneasy hum of his powers and realized that Jongin had somehow earned himself a chance. For once Sehun hadn’t hesitated and flooded the boy in front of him with the biggest dose of confidence and determination he could summon. It certainly hadn’t been the most subtle approach, but it had gotten the job done. Because when Sehun had reached out his hand, the young, black-haired man had grabbed it with barely any hesitation and let himself be pulled upright.  
  
“What’s your name?”  
  
“Jongin.”  
  
“Well, Jongin. Let’s get you home.”  
  
That had been the beginning of a very strange friendship. For some reason Sehun just hadn’t been able to leave him be, feeling unnervingly protective over Jongin, despite the fact that his ‘job’ was theoretically done. So he had kept an eye on him, uncharacteristically proud when it became clear that the other boy was able to stay out of trouble and, most importantly, away from the drugs all on his own. Sehun had simply provided the occasional distraction and encouragement when Jongin’s demons got the better of him.  
  
Unexpectedly he had gotten another opportunity to help Jongin just a few months later. They had been walking down one of the endless pavements of the city, hunting for cheap ice-cream, when Yixing had appeared.  
  
Sehun had just _known_ and for the second time in his angelic existence he had acted completely on instinct and pushed Jongin directly into the other man’s path. A spilled coffee and endless apologies from a distressed Yixing later, Jongin had walked away with the older man’s number and the order to call so Yixing could take care of the dry cleaning bill for his coffee-stained shirt.  
  
It had taken them a total of five days to go on their first date, four weeks until Jongin had told him with the biggest of smiles that they were officially together and now, three months later, Jongin had basically moved into Yixing’s atelier-apartment.  
  
Sehun was pretty sure that Jongin knew he was more than a mere human, their first meeting hadn’t exactly been… normal, but the young man never asked questions, just gave him one of those goofy smiles, ruffled his hair – the other boy was seriously the only one able to get away with that – and took him out for ice cream or coffee, whenever Sehun paid the occasional visit.  
  
It somehow worked, Sehun thought as he took a last drag of his cigarette and flicked it away with a careless motion of his hand. If Joonmyun were there he would no doubt receive a lecture on pollution or scaring an unsuspecting human by possibly hitting him with the cigarette butt, but the older angel wasn’t there and Sehun really didn’t care. Instead he followed the glowing descent with his eyes, considered lighting himself another cigarette and that was when the voice slammed into him. It was crystal clear, a deep, lilting voice that rang so loud Sehun actually jerked around, looking for its source with wide, startled eyes.  
  
_“Please… I’m so fucking tired of being this lonely all the time.”_  
  
The angry bleakness of those words, the raw longing in them was a stinging pain in his throat, a blunt weight on his chest, even as his eyes roved around, still searching for the owner of the voice. But a part of him just knew he wasn’t going to find him, knew that the voice was one of _them_ , was part of the grating throng of voices inside his head. He just didn’t know why it hadn’t remained an anonymous, unintelligible murmur like the others, couldn’t understand why that voice still rung in his mind, echoing until his fingers curled into the ripped fabric of his jeans.  
  
All he knew was that he didn’t want it there.  
  
  
☆  
  
  
It happened two more times, always after he had discarded his still glowing cigarette butt, before Sehun lost his patience. He couldn’t actually believe it, but some idiot down there seemed to be mistaking the falling remains of his cigarettes for shooting stars and was making wishes on them.  
  
It was the single most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, but it would make sense. Despite his angelic abilities he couldn’t actually read the human mind however he wanted. He could sense only their wishes and worries, _heaven-sent_ prayers that unveiled themselves to him. So maybe the fact that it was _his_ cigarette butts that were tricking the superstitious fool into making wishes instead of actually doing something with his life, that somehow had the thoughts clamoring in Sehun’s mind all on their own. And where the constant, indistinct buzz was already objectionable enough, having someone directly in his head was completely unacceptable.  
  
The voice was eerily quiet now, but Sehun still felt the tug on his mind, a fragile thread to follow. He wasn’t sure if meeting the man would actually accomplish anything. Firstly, Sehun wasn’t planning on granting a wish to a guy who couldn’t even differentiate between the glow of a cigarette and a falling star and secondly, even if he did want to help him, it wasn’t that easy. Sehun could use his magical powers for a lot of things, but to actively change a human’s fate, to help them in the way he was supposed to, the human would have to earn his chance first. He didn’t know how it was accomplished, didn’t know who decided when such a chance was earned, but Sehun’s abilities always knew when he came across a human who had reached that state. It was an unmistakable, powerful surge of magic in his chest, an insistent compulsion to _help_ , like the one he had felt back then with Jongin and once again after meeting Yixing.  
  
So chances were rather slim that it would be as easy as following that pesky voice, granting him his wish and returning to his ‘normal’ routine again. Not to mention that Sehun didn’t even know if he actually wanted to help a guy that had somehow managed to shatter his, admittedly fragile peace, but doing nothing would get him nowhere. And taking a quick look wouldn’t hurt, it wasn’t as if he actually had anything better to do. So he would fly down there, see the man for himself and decide what should be done after he knew exactly what kind of a fool he was up against.  
  
Sehun didn’t bother standing up. Pushing with his arms he simply catapulted himself over the edge of the stronghold and let himself fall. With the brisk night air rushing past him, whipping his hair and gliding over him in an almost icy caress, he went through pure free-fall for a few breathless seconds before a single thought had his wings whipping out on both sides of him. Air catching under them like wind in a boat’s sail, he felt an almost painful lurch rip through his body as his wings strained to slow the sheer drop. But one powerful stroke of them was enough and he was suddenly gliding forward on the capricious air currents of the night.  
  
Nothing felt as good at this.  
  
This, this freedom, was the only true pleasure he had ever known. It was so tempting to forget about everything, to just keep on flying until nothing but the seemingly endless lights of Seoul sprawling out beneath him and the clear, starlit sky above him mattered anymore, but Sehun had something to deal with and he didn’t think avoidance was the way to go here.  
  
The trip was over a lot sooner than Sehun was okay with, but within a few minutes he was coming to a soft landing on dusty concrete and he resolutely folded back his wings, feeling the weight of them disappear barely a second later. He knew that if he were to look back over his shoulder now, his wings would simply be gone and strange as that was, Sehun had never questioned it. So much about his existence as an angel made no sense, magic he would probably never understand at work, but he knew that if he willed them so, his wings would appear and unfold from his back again. And that was all that truly mattered to him.  
  
Throwing a half wary glance around, he took in the flat roof he was standing on and registered the utter lack of anything noteworthy, until his gaze caught the slight movement at the far end of the roof. The sight was honestly not one he had expected, as he silently stepped out of the shadow of the neighboring apartment complex - one that was a few stories higher than the building he was standing on now. _He_ was sitting at the edge of the roof, arms hooked over the lower rail of the banister, feet dangling in the air and dark hair whipping about in the brisk evening breeze. He was dressed in black slacks and an open, padded winter jacket over a white dress shirt and seemed to be of medium height.  
  
From where he was standing Sehun could only see his side profile, the sharp curve of his jaw, straight nose and pink lips, with that dark hair falling messily over his forehead, but it was enough to give him the clear expression of a coldly beautiful face. He wasn’t impressed. For some reason every single angel was unrealistically beautiful and Sehun was dealing with those gorgeous men and women on a daily basis. What was one more? But there was something about the way he sat there, shoulders drawn up, spine held unusually straight and head slumped down on his crossed arms that had Sehun incapable of looking away. Even with the noises of a busy city like Seoul rising up to them, it seemed as if he was the only person on Earth. There was just something so unmistakably _lonely_ about him, with his blank stare, empty eyes and the wary way he held himself, that had Sehun taking an involuntary step closer.  
  
He was equally clueless about the reason for what he did next, his only explanation being that his brain must have short-circuited, the constant stress and pressure of having all those intelligible voices in his head finally getting to him. It just had to be, because the next second, he found himself opening his mouth and asking what was probably the dumbest question possible in this situation.  
  
“Are you alright?”  
  
It was completely pointless. The mere fact that Sehun was here right now, was proof enough that the other man was definitely not alright and apart from that it wasn’t exactly something you asked a total stranger, especially not without making your presence known first.  
  
The dark-haired man seemed to share that sentiment, as he jerked around with wide, startled eyes, mouth open as if he had been about to call out in surprise, but then his elbow connected with the metal railing, quite forcefully, if the banging sound and flash of pain on the man’s face were anything to go by.  
  
“Fucking shit, goddammit!” The man cursed viciously.  
  
Clutching the elbow to his side, he rubbed the smarting spot through the fabric of his jacket, expression purely pissed off, before he returned his gaze to Sehun still standing frozen several feet away. He knew he was probably supposed to apologize for scaring the man like that, but for some unexplainable reason, he found himself strangely tongue-tied. Barely a minute ago he had thought himself completely unmoved by the guy’s immensely attractive appearance, but with the man glowering at him in both suspicion and clear accusation, regarding him with narrowed eyes and a disgruntled frown, every vestige of that cold expressionlessness gone, he felt his heart give an unsettling lurch in his chest. The wide array of emotions cascading over his face turned him from a gorgeous statue, into something real, something alarmingly breathtaking and Sehun was left standing and staring. Luckily for him the other seemed to think he was simply waiting for an answer to that ludicrous question from earlier.  
  
“I’m fine.”  
  
And that was when Sehun realized that he might just be standing in front of the worst liar on the entire planet. Contrary to his first impression, everything – absolutely everything – showed on his face. His reluctance to talk to a stranger, and a weird one at that, his annoyance at having his alone-time interrupted, the pain he was doing his best to hide, and even the hint of grudging curiosity. It was all there, written clear as day on that pretty, suddenly so expressive face. Sehun didn’t bother calling him out on his horrible attempt at lying, he just continued looking at him and judging by the dark-haired man's grimace, he was well aware of his lacking deceptive skills.  
  
Surprisingly – or maybe not so surprisingly after all, Sehun wasn’t quite sure what to expect of him anymore – there was a certain air of determined defiance about him. He didn’t try to explain himself or search for another bogus reply, instead he just confronted Sehun with a question of his own.  
  
“What are you doing up here? Are you a new tenant? I haven’t seen you around before.”  
  
“I’m… lost.”  
  
He obviously wasn’t doing a much better job at this lying thing, judging by the raised eyebrow he was suddenly faced with.  
  
“Let’s make a deal. You won’t ask me if I’m alright or how I’m doing and I won’t try to find out what you’re doing here. Just don’t let the janitor catch you. Being up here is actually not allowed and he can be a real bitch about that rule.”  
  
Before Sehun could ask him why he was risking being caught, the man was talking again.  
  
“I bribe him with beer now and then, so as far as he’s concerned, I’m not even here, but tucked safely into bed instead.”  
  
Now he sounded almost smug and something about the tone of his smooth voice had Sehun moving forward to the edge of the roof, sitting down and mirroring the other’s position several feet away. All the while he didn’t take his eyes off the man, saw him tilt his head slightly to the side in a clear display of curiosity and Sehun couldn’t help but think that he looked way too young.  
  
“So you’re old enough to buy beer?”  
  
That question got Sehun a severely displeased scowl, the man’s lips turning down at the corners, before he all but snarled, “I’m 25.”  
  
“Right.”  
  
He didn’t think his voice could sound any more condescending if he actually tried and unsurprisingly that only seemed to piss off the man even more, frown lines deepening between his brows and eyes flashing with temper, as he gave a low huff.  
  
“Think what you want, but don’t expect me to help you if grumpy, old man Park shows up and chases after you with his broom.”  
  
“A broom? Really?”  
  
“It hurts more than you’d think.”  
  
“So are you talking from experience?”  
  
“I got hit a lot in the beginning. Before I discovered the magical powers of bribery.”  
  
It took Sehun a while to realize that he was smiling and when he looked to the side he saw the corner of the man’s mouth tugging up in an answering grin. It was slight, just a faint curl of his lips as he faced forward again, staring down at the street far beneath his dangling feet, but it was there and for the second time that day, Sehun felt that disconcerting jolt zip through his body.  
  
Not quite sure what he was supposed to do now – he clearly hadn’t thought this whole thing through well enough – and completely unable to match the man before him with the picture he had created in his head of a guy making wishes on cigarette butts, he fell back into his usual pattern and remained quiet. The dark-haired man just didn’t seem the type, neither for being lonely enough to resort to that kind of superstition and definitely not for actually being foolish enough to believe in it.  
  
Simultaneously the other didn’t seem inclined to fill the quiet spaces between them with mindless conversation, so they spent the remainder of the time in silence. It wasn’t companionable, neither was it awkward. It was just … silent.  
  
He wasn’t even sure why he was there in the first place or why he didn’t just leave. Coming here and thinking he might get answers on how to keep this stranger’s wishes out of his head had definitely been a long shot and now he was just more confused than before. Staying here would achieve nothing, but he still found himself strangely reluctant to get up.  
  
To his surprise his quiet companion also didn’t say anything about wanting him gone, neither did he make any move to leave and it was only an hour later, spent absorbed in their respective thoughts, that he finally got up.  
  
“It’s getting late. G’night.”  
  
Clueless about how exactly he should react to that, Sehun just gave a short nod and wordless hum that had the slightly smaller man staring at him for several heartbeats, as if he was waiting for something, before he abruptly turned around and started walking towards the metal staircase at the far end of the roof. Sehun watched him leave, unreasonably pleased when the older man turned back around and asked in a slightly reluctant tone, “It’s getting cold, are you gonna be okay?", as if he wasn’t all that happy about having to worry about a stranger that had just shown up out of nowhere.  
  
“Yeah, don’t worry. I won’t stay much longer.”  
  
He would have bet his wings on the fact that the smaller had been about to tell him that he wasn’t going to worry, when he clamped his mouth shut again and gave Sehun’s zipped hoodie a skeptical glance.  
  
“Do you have…”, he broke off with a scowl, seemed to reconsider his words and tried again. “Are you sure you’re alright?”  
  
Sehun blinked, surprised by the question until he realized that the man was probably trying to find out if he was going to do anything stupid, now that he was about to leave.  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m gonna head home in a few minutes. Just having a smoke.”  
  
The mention of a home – Sehun’s home – seemed to put him at ease, shoulders relaxing and tense expression smoothing out, and with one last nod he left. For good this time. But contrary to his word, Sehun left the pack of cigarettes untouched in his pocket, just staring down at the occasional car driving by on the street below and trying to figure out the meaning of the sudden, prickling feeling in his chest. All he knew was that _something_ had happened and he wondered uneasily if coming here had been a mistake after all.  
  
  
☆  
  
  
Without an answer to that question it took him only three days to return to the same rooftop. There had been no more invasions of the dark-haired stranger’s thoughts into his mind, at least none as obvious as before, so Sehun tried his best not to think about his unexcused urge to go back. But then that confrontation with an entitled group of angels who obviously thought they had a right to lecture him on his _responsibilities_ had happened and he had just wanted to get away. He had taken off from the stronghold with the vague plan of visiting Jongin, but found himself touching down on a completely different rooftop, coming across a familiar form sitting with his feet dangling over the edge.  
  
The man looked up as he as he noticed Sehun sitting down a short distance away from him and the first thing out of his mouth was an almost offhand “What’s your name?”. It probably said a lot about Sehun that he wasn’t the least bit deterred by the lack of greeting.  
  
“Sehun.”  
  
“I’m Luhan. It’s nice to meet you.”  
  
And before he knew it, Sehun was smiling again, something that had seemed completely impossible just a few minutes ago. But he just couldn’t help it. The tone of Luhan’s voice had been so weird, as if he had just now remembered his manners and was determined to show them off to Sehun.  
  
“Really? So you don’t actually want me to piss off and leave you alone?”  
  
His only reply was a free, hearty laugh as Luhan slapped his hand down on his own thigh in a show of obvious mirth and Sehun actually forgot to breathe for several seconds. Luhan looked so damn stupid, with the corners of his eyes crinkled up and mouth opened wide, but the smile that followed – open, carefree, _beautiful_ – had something long dormant awakening in his chest.  
  
  
Over the course of the next weeks, he wasn’t sure how it happened exactly, sitting with Luhan and spending their late evenings together became… normal. Not in the ‘okay, this is getting old’ kind of normal, but to the point where not seeing him after a long day started to feel strangely lacking. For someone like Sehun, who had always preferred solitude over the company of another person, it was a perplexing realization. It wasn’t as if they did anything special, mostly they just kept each other company or talked. They talked about Luhan’s work, apparently he was a waiter at a fancy restaurant downtown, which definitely explained the black slacks, dress shirt and tie he was always wearing under his open winter jacket. They talked about things they liked or disliked. Hell, they even talked about the weather and Sehun’s – apparently worrisome – preference for ripped jeans and his tendency to forego a jacket.  
  
They didn’t keep a safe distance between them when they sat side by side anymore, huddling together to battle the ever-falling temperatures, with their thighs and arms pressed up against each other for warmth. It had startled Sehun the first time Luhan had taken his seat so close, simply not used to that much physical contact, even through the layers of their warm clothes. But one startled look at the other’s unusually drawn face and the realization that it must have been an especially hard day for Luhan had melted away any reserve. So he had reached out tentatively, hugged the elder’s arm closer and sat there waiting, caught between the fear of being pushed away and a breathless kind of exhilaration. But it seemed as if pushing him away had never even crossed Luhan’s mind, as the smaller man slumped into him with a little sound of relief and playfully kicked at one of Sehun’s dangling feet.  
  
They never talked much, with neither of them being the overly chatty type, but then words never seemed all that necessary between them. And still… the closer they got, the more time he spent with Luhan, the more confused he became. Why had someone like Luhan thought it necessary to make a wish like that? He knew firsthand now that talking to Luhan was ridiculously easy and he had seen the way people reacted to the older man, had seen the way they almost seemed to gravitate towards him. There should be no reason for him to be lonely. And still… Sehun had also noticed the way Luhan drew away from them in return. For someone who didn’t want to be lonely, he avoided anything but the most superficial contact surprisingly often. It made no sense to Sehun, but then that happened a lot around Luhan.  
  
He was a barrel of contradictions, with the face of an angel - Sehun would know – but an unbending character and a sharp, often punishing tongue, a careful, almost suspicious personality, but also generous and with a quick, warm smile, guarded, but never when it came to Sehun. At least not since that first night they had met. That last part alone would have been enough to draw out his curiosity, but coupled with everything else, it seemed almost impossible to leave Luhan alone. Not when there was still so much he didn’t know about him, things that hadn’t been answered by occasionally watching over him during the day. And since the angel refused to resort to downright following him around everywhere – he wasn’t Luhan’s _guardian_ or a creepy stalker - there was only one thing left for him to do. Sehun was well aware it was just a convenient excuse for him to return to that rooftop almost on a daily basis now, but frankly, he didn’t really care.  
  
  
“You know, I really thought you were homeless in the beginning.”  
  
The casually spoken words had Sehun throwing a startled look down at Luhan, where he was lying with his head resting in the younger’s lap, eyes closed and a small smile pulling at his lips as the wind tugged almost playfully at his dark hair. And after staring in disbelief for a few seconds, he realized that it actually wasn’t such a ridiculous assumption to make. For obvious reasons, he never talked a lot about himself or what he did when he wasn’t with Luhan, he never mentioned work or his home, simply because he wasn’t allowed to talk about it.  
  
“But I scrapped that idea. You don’t look the least bit ragged, your clothes are too expensive and clean and you smell way too good.”  
  
Sehun was grateful for Luhan’s closed eyes, as he felt his cheeks heating at the kind of strange compliment. He sometimes wondered how the older man could say stuff like that so nonchalantly. Luhan had a way of just saying whatever it was that came to his mind and while it was blessedly refreshing, it also made Sehun’s life considerably harder at times like these. And unfortunately the smaller chose that exact moment to open his eyes and give Sehun a hard, long stare before abruptly sitting up. The young angel would have looked away, but some defiant part of him simply refused to give in as Luhan met his gaze again, _something_ flashing in his eyes, before he broke out in a broad, way too amused grin.  
  
“Alright, let’s go.”  
  
With that he simply got to his feet and Sehun scrambled after him, utterly confused as to what had just happened.  
  
“Go where?”  
  
“Inside. It’s getting too damn cold to sit around here, especially since you’re still refusing to wear a jacket.”  
  
Sehun was ninety-nine percent convinced he heard a mumbled “crazy kid” at the end of that, but he couldn’t be entirely sure with the clanging sounds their footsteps were making on the metal stairs. Only one short flight down the side of the building and then Luhan was pulling open the heavy door and quickly waving him inside. Sehun felt a slight tremor going through him as warmth wrapped itself around him and he didn’t even notice slowing down until he saw that Luhan was already taking another flight of stairs downwards. Hurrying after him he followed him down two more floors and only seconds later Luhan pulled out a set of keys and they stepped through one of the completely identical doors and into his apartment’s tiny entrance space. There was a door leading into the kitchen directly to his left and at the end of the hallway, where it turned right, he could make out what he thought was the living room.  
  
“I usually go on that rooftop to wind down after work, to have some alone time, but now that doesn’t really work anymore, so we might as well do this inside where we’re not in any danger of losing body parts to frostbite.”  
  
Sehun froze in the middle of toeing off his shoes, a confusing stabbing sensation in his chest, as he watched Luhan shrugging out of his jacket. It took him only a few moments to realize it was shock and hurt all tangled up together.  
  
“I can… leave you alone if that’s what you want. I didn’t mean to…”  
  
He frantically bit off his next word, realizing his voice had been about to crack. It sounded strange, not at all like his own and neither did the clear hurt in his voice. He didn’t even notice his fingers tightening in the fabric of his thick sweater, as if it could elevate the sudden hollow feeling in his stomach. Instead Sehun watched tension creep up Luhan’s back and shoulders, felt the panicked urge to bolt out the door when the elder turned around and looked him straight in the eyes, face unusually sober.  
  
“I didn’t complain, did I? Believe me, I would have told you if I wanted to be alone. Now close that door.”  
  
And then he was smiling at him, a bit wobbly, a bit unsure, as if he couldn’t quite understand this whole situation himself, but it soothed over the sting in his chest like nothing else and with a smile of his own, so broad he could feel the pull in his cheeks, Sehun pulled the door closed behind him. He didn’t know why it felt like something else clicking into place as well.  
  
“Make yourself comfortable, I’m gonna go wash up and change into more comfortable clothes.”  
  
Maybe it was the matter-of-fact way Luhan seemed to view Sehun’s presence in his space, but he felt no hesitancy as he stepped into the living room and flipped the light switch. Luhan didn’t treat him like a guest, didn’t act as if he was trying to ‘entertain’ him and it had Sehun immediately at ease. Instead the elder seemed to be taking care of his usual evening-routine, as he let the tall blonde explore all on his own to the sound of the shower coming on.  
  
The apartment was nothing special, furniture clearly old and made up of an interesting mix of styles, but it was tidy and cozy in a way he hadn’t expected. There was a big, comfortable-looking couch in the middle of the living room, facing the TV at Sehun’s right, while the far wall was made up of nothing but the window and two bookshelves, filled to the brim with a wild array of books, comics, manga, DVDs, CDs and random knick-knack, like a signed baseball, jar full of coins and a small deer figurine. Reaching blindly for one of the manga volumes, before he let his eyes rove over the blue cover – “One Piece” – he sank down on the grey couch and confirmed with a satisfied hum that it didn’t just look comfortable.  
  
Sehun was halfway through the volume when he became aware of Luhan stepping into the room and his gaze was immediately drawn to him, despite the fact that he had been completely immersed in the story just a second ago. Luhan was wearing a washed-out t-shirt and jeans that sat low on his hips, hair completely unstyled as it fell over his forehead in a damp, beautiful mess and something about the relaxed sight of him had Sehun’s mouth going dry. With a low groan Luhan let himself plop down on the couch next to Sehun, head thrown back and eyes closed as he sank deeper into the cushions, and the younger had to curl his fingers into the single pillow next to him to keep himself from reaching out and tracing the line of his throat or stroking through that soft-looking hair. The scent of soap, warm skin and washed cotton filled Sehun’s nose as he drew in a shaky breath and it was enough to have him biting down on a startled whimper.  
  
It wasn’t the first time his body had reacted this way to Luhan. He had realized pretty quickly that his feelings for Luhan went far beyond casual acquaintance or even friendship, drawn towards the man in a far more powerful way, but it was definitely the first time he had such a hard time dealing with it. But Luhan’s skin looked soft and flushed from his hot shower and all Sehun wanted to do was curl up against his side and nap.  
  
“Are you hungry? I have some frozen pizza I could throw in the oven.”  
  
It took a demeaning amount of control, but when Sehun answered his voice was as steady as he thought possible in his current state.  
  
“Frozen pizza? You work at a fancy restaurant. Aren’t you supposed to have higher culinary standards than that and cook tasty meals every day?”  
  
“First of all, frozen pizza is awesome and secondly, I only serve the food, I don’t make it. Believe me when I tell you that you wouldn’t want me to cook for you.”  
  
A few seconds of silence, before Sehun turned towards Luhan again, face completely expressionless.  
  
“You know, now that I think of it, it’s really not that hard to believe.”  
  
That just had the older man snaking out his arm with a hissed “brat” to pull Sehun against him in a choke-hold that left him spluttering with laughter and pleading protest.  
  
  
☆  
  
  
“Where are we going?”  
  
“I didn’t tell you the first three times you asked and I won’t tell you now. You’ll find out soon enough”, came Luhan’s immediate reply, hand firm and warm around Sehun’s wrist as he continued to pull him down the sidewalk, farther away from the bus stop.  
  
Sehun gave a quiet huff, barely loud enough for Luhan to hear and decided to just give up on trying to find out where they were headed. The elder had jovially rebuffed all his attempts at getting a clear answer out of him, obviously set on making it a surprise and while Sehun was dying with curiosity, he didn’t think it was worth the amount of energy it would take to make Luhan talk. And then there was the bit of apprehension that refused to go away. He was finally going to find out where Luhan went every Thursday evening. Which was good, very good, he just wasn’t sure Luhan had picked the best day to show him. He couldn’t just feel the iciness seeping through his clothes, he was pretty sure he could actually taste in on his tongue, breaths leaving his and the elder’s mouths in puffs of white, and despite the jacket the slightly smaller man had made him wear, he was still freezing. A lot.  
  
Their feet hit the gravelly pavement in ever-shortening intervals as Luhan sped up his steps and dragged Sehun along, cutting a sharp right and suddenly Sehun knew. Coming to an abrupt halt, Luhan’s forward momentum managed to propel them two more steps ahead, before Sehun’s stubborn refusal to move cut through the elder’s enthusiastic anticipation and he eventually stopped yanking at his arm.  
  
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”  
  
“Oh, come on! It’ll be fun.”  
  
Luhan didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the glare Sehun sent him, grinning cheerfully as he rocked forward on his toes, either blissfully unaware of the horrified gaze the younger returned to the caged street soccer court or simply that uncaring. Something told Sehun it was probably the latter. He had never actually been on a soccer court, but he had seen enough of them, had heard Luhan talk about the game often enough to get a pretty good picture of what was about to happen.  
  
“Just in case you’re harboring any delusions about this, I’m not going to play!” He just knew he would be abysmal at it. “And who the hell is crazy enough to play in these temperatures?!”  
  
The crazy guys – apart from Luhan, of course – turned out to be Minseok, a small guy with a quick, infectious grin, Baekhyun, equally small, but obviously too fabulous to care, Chanyeol, according to legend all enthusiasm and no coordination, and Minho, who looked very determined and, for some strange reason, reminded him a bit of Joonmyun. There was just something very brotherly about the way he threw an arm over Sehun’s shoulder as soon as Luhan introduced them, before addressing him in a stage whisper.  
  
“You don’t look very happy to be here. Not a big soccer player?”  
  
“I don’t know about the ‘big’ part, but I’ve never played soccer in my life and I didn’t plan on changing that.”  
  
That elicited a round of gasps from the group of guys, which only deepened the scowl on Sehun’s face. Minho gave him three consoling pats on the back, while he faced Luhan.  
  
“Taemin said he can’t come. His dance team scheduled a few extra practice sessions because of their gig next week.”  
  
“Good thing Luhan brought Sehun then. He can just take Taemin’s place!”  
  
Sehun got some satisfaction out of the way Chanyeol shrunk away from the glare he sent in his direction after that unwelcome comment, but then Luhan’s voice registered and the dark pleasure was replaced by total disbelieve.  
  
“That’s right. You can all buy me dinner next time for having such excellent timing.”  
  
All of Sehun’s strident protests fell on obviously deaf ears, because minutes later he found himself standing in the goal of Chanyeol and Minho’s team, with dread becoming a heavier weight in his gut with every passing second. He really didn’t like the almost blood-thirsty look on Luhan, Minseok and Baekhyun’s faces, something he had Chanyeol to thank for as well.  
  
("Let’s just play tall team vs. small team!”  
  
“Excuse me, I resent being thrown together with these two midgets”, came Luhan’s immediate and indignant protest.  
  
“You’re barely taller than us!”  
  
“One and a half inch! I’m one and a half inch taller than you!”  
  
“That’s just sad, Luhan.”)  
  
Sehun realized pretty quickly – within the first thirty seconds of the game, to be exact – that he was just as bad at this game as he had expected and definitely _not_ made to be a goalkeeper. The first ball that came flying at him, courtesy of a smug Luhan, sent him jumping in the other direction with a sound he refused to acknowledge as a squeal. Men didn’t squeal. Angel’s _definitely_ didn’t squeal.  
  
“You do realize we’re not playing dodge ball, right?”, Luhan asked with an infuriating grin spreading on his face, that had his eyes crinkling and Sehun’s stomach jumping in a way that was even scarier than a ball flying directly towards his head.  
  
“I hate you.”  
  
And of course that only had the older man grinning even harder.  
  
He would really like to say he got better as the game went along, but while he at least stopped evading the balls after Luhan and Minseok had scored three more goals and Minho had effectively reamed his ass, it didn’t change the fact that he simply sucked at stopping the ball. His only consolation was that Baekhyun was just as bad as him and so it turned out to be a fairly even game, with Luhan and Minho scoring one goal after another, while Sehun froze his ass off and tried not to get killed by a ball to the head. Luhan – the ass – didn’t even pretend to hold back, firing one canon shot after another at him and looking like he was having the time of his life.  
  
Luckily Sehun’s complete inability to interfere with anything but the easiest shot seemed to fire up Minho’s competitive spirit and by the time only a few seconds remained on the clock – the display of Chanyeol’s phone – the score was an even 11:11.  
  
But before Sehun could finish his sigh of relief, Minseok stole the ball from a recklessly dashing Chanyeol to pass it directly to Luhan and suddenly he had the elder sprinting towards him. Minho made a quick attempt to block his attack, but Luhan evaded him with a fluid side-step and Sehun found himself flooded with grudging admiration and sudden determination.  
  
_Oh no, not this time_ , was all he could think as Luhan took aim and sharply kicked the ball towards the upper right corner.  
  
Sehun had no idea how he did it, but with a desperate lunge and outstretched arm, he somehow managed to get his hand on the ball, just enough to deflect it over the goal. He and most of the other players just stood there gaping as the ball hit the metal cage behind the net, barely noticing the painful throb in his hand and completely disbelieving that he had actually managed to prevent that goal. The next second he found himself lifted off the ground by Chanyeol’s bear hug, who had obviously forgotten all about being afraid of Sehun in the face of avoiding that almost certain loss. Then Minho was patting him on the back – quite painfully, to be honest – joining in on Chanyeol’s loud cheering and Sehun just couldn’t keep a smile from slipping on his face.  
  
Meeting Luhan’s gaze over Chanyeol’s shoulder, he felt his already short breath lodging in his throat. The dark-haired man looked so beautiful – sweaty, disgruntled about failing to score the winning goal, but with a shine to his eyes he had never seen before. And under the obvious displeasure lay a contentment and overflowing excitement that spoke of true love for the sport that baffled Sehun so much. He didn’t understand the appeal, but it was more than just obvious that only very few things could make Luhan as happy as soccer did.  
  
Next to them Baekhyun was hard at work calming down Chanyeol and Sehun tried to do the same thing with his wildly beating heart. For some reason he didn’t think the pounding beat had anything to do with playing soccer for the last sixty minutes.  
  
By the time they all went their respective ways, Minseok and Minho heading for their cars, Baekhuyn and Chanyeol towards the subway station and Luhan and Sehun to the nearby bus stop, his overall frozenness was making itself known again. It was an admittedly welcome distraction from the thoughts clanging around in his head. That didn’t mean that he appreciated Luhan’s gloating, though.  
  
“You know, when you said you were bad at soccer I didn’t think you’d suck _that_ much”, a carefree, teasing laugh from Luhan, as he barely avoided Sehun’s punch to the shoulder. “But that last save was actually kinda impressive.”  
  
It was said with a mock scowl and even though he knew Luhan was trying to take the sting out of his previous baiting, it would have been a lot more effective if Sehun hadn’t been utterly distracted by the slow loss of any feeling in his toes.  
  
“Shut up. This was the worst idea ever. I can’t believe you dragged me into this.”  
  
“Awww, come on Sehunnie. You have to admit it was fun.”  
  
He just continued glaring at the smaller man.  
  
“I spent the last hour freezing half to death and being bombarded by your shots, which hurt like hell, just so you know. So please remind me what part of that was supposed to be fun?”  
  
Unbelievably Luhan was _still_ smiling, not even bothering with an answer. He just stepped behind him, hooked his chin over his shoulder and put his arms around him in a loose hug.  
  
“There, there. We’ll get you warmed up in no time.”  
  
Luhan’s voice was warm and smooth in his ear and Sehun didn’t even care if the shiver racing up his spine was due to the cold or the feeling of Luhan’s embrace. He just wanted the older man to keep holding him.  
  
“You’re sweaty and gross.”  
  
But they both knew he was just being his usual contrary self by the way he burrowed deeper into Luhan’s hold at the heels of that grumbled comment. And then there was another brush of warm air as the elder man let out a small laugh, tightening his arms around Sehun’s waist. This time his tremble definitely didn’t have anything to do with the freezing temperatures.  
  
  
☆  
  
  
Sehun sometimes wondered if Luhan thought of him as a stray, an abandoned cat he had found somewhere at the side of the road and decided to bring home. It didn’t seem like that much of a stretch, after all he felt decidedly feline in his constant urges to curl up against the older man and arch into his fleeting, almost subconscious touches. Then there was the fact that the amount of time he was apart from Luhan started to look rather measly in comparison to the time they spent holed up together in the older man’s apartment. If someone had told him he would practically move in with the guy that first day he had heard Luhan’s voice, he would have recommended a visit to the doctor to check for possible brain damage. But now he was curled up on Luhan’s couch, a manga from his sheer endless stash in hands, and staring up at Luhan holding a set of two keys out to him.  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
The admittedly dumb question earned him a raised eyebrow and commiserating shake of Luhan’s head, as the elder jingled the keys in a clear sign of impatience. Sitting up straight and reaching out, he noticed a sudden spike of noise in his head and realized Luhan must be either wishing or worrying very strongly at the moment. It was so hard to keep his mind from automatically tuning in on his thoughts, but he was still determined to give Luhan at least that much privacy and when he closed his hand around the cool metal, the din in his head settled back into the usual, muffled and thankfully manageable buzz.  
  
“Those are the keys to my place and the door into the building. This way you don’t have to wait outside in the hallway, if I’m not home when you show up,” Luhan explained as he threw himself down on the couch next to Sehun, arms and thighs brushing in that now familiar way, not even pretending to leave any space between them.  
  
If he had been a little less distracted by the sudden crash of emotion inside his chest, he might have noticed the slight fissures of nervousness in the older man’s voice, but he could barely keep his own thoughts straight. Staring down at the set of keys lying on his trembling palm, he felt his throat tightening with a wholly unfamiliar emotion, choking up to the point where he feared opening his mouth and saying something would just end in an incoherent and mortifying croak. At the same time he knew he had to say _something_. He couldn’t just sit there and stare at them for the rest of the night.  
  
“I could be a psycho out to kill you. Or a con-artist, just waiting for an opportunity to clear out all your stuff and sell it.”  
  
He had no idea where that had even come from, but he tried to tell himself it was better than nothing. Judging by the look on Luhan’s face, he didn’t necessarily agree.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not even gonna reward that psycho theory with a reply,” he scoffed with a roll of his eyes that made it quite obvious what he thought of Sehun’s statement. “And what could you possibly steal from this apartment? The crappy TV? The five-year-old laptop that sounds as if it’s going to explode any second? That jar full of 50 and 100 Won coins?”  
  
His snort was derisive and darkly amused, as he let himself sink back into the couch cushions and propped his feet up on the scuffed coffee table, squirming until he had found a comfortable position. One that had his thigh pressed firmly against Sehun’s and elbow resting on his lap, making Sehun want to reach out and link their arms. It was telling in the most worrying way, that mere contact didn’t seem to be enough anymore, that every part of his body seemed to tell him to get closer and closer still.  
  
“You’re too trusting.”  
  
It was a last, admittedly pathetic attempt to talk them both out of something he was no longer willing to give up, because as much as he tried to focus on something else, it was simply impossible to ignore the flaring of warmth and happiness inside his chest as he chanced another glance at the keys in his hand.  
  
“Believe me, I’m not.” There was a solemn, bordering on dark undertone to his voice that had Sehun’s heart give a heavy thump, but when he turned his head to look at the older man, there was an almost nostalgic smile tugging on his lips as he pointed the remote at the TV and turned it on, obviously done with the topic at hand. “But you can just give the keys back if you don’t want them.”  
  
“No!”  
  
His immediate response was telling enough, but Sehun didn’t even realize he was clutching the set of keys to his chest in a purely protective move until Luhan’s low chuckle stirred the fine hair at his temple. Throwing them on the coffee table with an annoyed huff, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and slumped farther down where he sat. The childish display of temper pulled another quiet laugh from Luhan, before he gave him two consoling pats and left his hand where it was, softly cupping the inside of Sehun’s thigh just above his knee, and returned his attention to the movie on screen.  
  
For a while Sehun made an effort to concentrate on the TV as well, trying to find some interest in the high-speed car chase, but roaring motors, squealing tires and the crash of metal barely held any attraction with Luhan so close. He was shifting around, burrowing deeper into Luhan’s side and resting his head on the elder’s shoulder within minutes, movie long forgotten as he watched Luhan’s fingers trace unconscious, invisible patterns on his lower thigh. The light touches sent tremors of delight through his body, but it wasn’t until Luhan let his thumb stroke his thigh all the way down to his knee, bared by the long rip in his jeans, that Sehun felt his breath catch in his throat. Breathing became a towering challenge at the skin to skin contact, the way Luhan’s careful touch sent ripples of heat and awareness to that place low in his belly and some part of him wanted to purr and arch into the caress, while another was terrified of moving and possibly making it stop.  
  
Tearing his gaze away from the almost hypnotizing sight, he chanced a quick side glance at Luhan, but instead of finding him still concentrated on the movie as he had expected, the older man’s eyes were glued to the place where his fingers had just disappeared under the frayed edge of the denim. His teeth were biting down on his lower lip, something Sehun hadn’t seen him do before, but the small action was enough to draw Sehun’s entire focus to that beautiful, pink mouth.  
  
He should have known it would eventually come to this, to the point where _just_ touching wouldn’t be enough for him anymore and with a caustic mix of dread, anticipation and relief, he realized that he had somehow passed that point a while ago.  
  
He just had to do it. Sehun would have liked to pretend he didn’t know what he was doing, but he was well aware of the boundaries he was crossing, of all the unspoken rules he was probably breaking, but it barely slowed him down as he leaned up and pressed his lips to the corner of Luhan’s mouth. It was the hand on his knee that stopped moving first, before Sehun felt the elder’s entire body tensing and stilling next to him.  
  
It was as if time came to a wrenching halt, his heartbeat a pounding sensation in his throat, and for one awful moment, Sehun expected to be pushed away, to be met with the elder’s horrified gaze, but suddenly Luhan was moving, pulling him into his lap until Sehun was straddling his thighs and kissing him back as he cupped Sehun’s face and properly fused their mouths together in a kiss that had the younger arching closer with a low, almost whimpered sound of _want_.  
  
Feeling a sudden wave of confidence at the sensation of Luhan growing harder against him, he rolled his hips down in a tentative, but determined move and greedily swallowed the smaller’s breathy moan. Sehun reveled in the way the elder’s grip tightened on him, fingers digging into hot, flushed skin, and the jolt going through Luhan as he sucked lightly on his tongue.  
  
Sehun was pressing closer, pawing at his shoulders and Luhan seemed all too happy to answer that wordless, frantic request, as he gripped Sehun’s ass and flipped them over in a move that had Sehun on his back in the blink of an eye. He mewled in protest when it had them pulling apart for a second, but a bit of quick maneuvering and Luhan was lowering himself over Sehun again, claiming the space between his spread thighs, forearms braced against the couch on each side of the taller’s head and then he was leaning down for another kiss. Opening his mouth to the clear demand of Luhan biting down on his lower lip, Sehun eagerly let the older man in, breathing out on a tiny whimper as his hot tongue licked into his mouth.  
  
The elder took his time exploring his mouth, with slow, almost lazy licks that had Sehun becoming more light-headed and flushed by the second. Hand slipping into the tear of Sehun’s ripped jeans, he cupped the back of the younger’s knee, fingers stroking softly over warm, sensitive skin and Sehun’s hips bucked off the couch with a keening sound dying in the back of his throat. There was heat pooling low in his belly, chest burning in its need for air and with a gasp he wrenched his mouth away from Luhan’s, letting his head fall back with another weak whine. Fingers raking down the slightly arched expanse of Luhan’s back, he tightened them on his ass and gave it a sharp tug, while he rocked his hips upward at the same time. Sehun saw stars as pleasure arced through him.  
  
He wasn’t even sure what he was doing, body acting purely on instinct, but he reveled in the breathless sounds Luhan had started making against his arched neck, in the way the elder was rolling his hips into his and choking out words of encouragement. The friction was almost painful, but still so _good_ and Sehun felt his entire body tightening and vibrating… and then Luhan just stopped.  
  
With a groan that sounded pained and half despairing, intertwining with the sharp, protesting hiss slipping over Sehun’s kiss-swollen lips, Luhan shifted slightly away from the younger and turned them until they were both lying on their sides, breathing labored and heavy.  
  
“What…”  
  
Luhan’s hand softly cupping the side of his face cut off the confused question and a second later the older man was leaning forward to press their lips together for a completely different kind of kiss. Where it had been hungry and demanding seconds ago, the way Luhan let his lips stroke over Sehun’s, touch almost feather-light, the affectionate gesture was now soothing and reverent.  
  
“Too fast. I really think we’re going too fast.”  
  
The elder’s voice was hoarse, raw with barely restrained emotion as he uttered the words into the gentle kiss, sending another shiver down Sehun’s spine, and even though Sehun wanted to protest, gut still twisting with heat and longing, he just wasn’t sure how to do it. He had a pretty good idea where things had been headed and the thought sent twin bolts of nervousness and _want_ through his body. A body that hadn’t quite caught up with the fact that they were apparently _taking it slow_.  
  
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. It hurts.”  
  
It was a testy whine, in no way helped by the slightly choked-up laugh Luhan let out at his words. He didn’t see the humor in all of this. Not even a little bit. Then the older man reached up and gently traced his eyebrow with his thumb, before he let his hand stroke down the side of his face, carefully cupping the side of his neck. Somehow the touch managed to make it better and so much worse at the same time.  
  
“I know. Believe me, I know.”  
  
“Then why…”  
  
And that was when a sudden feeling of cold dread hit Sehun and he tucked his head against his own shoulder in a purely protective move. What if … what if Luhan didn’t actually … But this once it seemed to be Luhan reading his worries, before the thoughts could even properly take shape in his mind, as he tipped his head up again to hold his flickering gaze with steady, sincere eyes.  
  
“Stop overthinking.”  
  
With that he grabbed Sehun’s hand and guided it down to the straining bulge in his jeans, pressing into the touch of the younger’s palm almost involuntarily, as if he just couldn’t help himself. The small movement, the feeling of Luhan under his hand had another frisson of need trembling through him.  
  
“I want you. Bad.” The guttural sound of his voice had Sehun a frantic heartbeat away from jumping out of skin with lust, but it was the torn look in Luhan’s eyes that held him back for a few more seconds. “But Sehun, the last thing I want is to rush this and do something you’ll regret. It’s pretty damn obvious you don’t have a lot of experience and I just can’t risk driving you away. I … I care about you too much and I don’t …”, he looked torn between frustration and a simmering kind of desperation, as he searched for the right words and some part of Sehun told him that this was more important than he could imagine. That maybe, just maybe, he was on the brink of actually finding out why Luhan had uttered the wish that had brought Sehun here all those months ago. The realization did nothing to slow his already thundering heartbeat. “Sehun, I already lost someone incredibly important to me and I can’t do it again. I won’t risk it by rushing into this when we…”  
  
And that was it. Leaning forward with an almost pained sound, Sehun captured Luhan’s lips in a kiss he hoped conveyed at least part of what he was feeling at the moment, moan melting into a content sigh at the way Luhan immediately pulled him close again. He gave himself a few more seconds, before he pulled back, scrambled up from the couch and forced Luhan to follow him out into the hallway.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
The elder sounded breathless, confused, but there was no anger or rejection in his voice and it was that fact that gave the taller man the last little push of courage he needed.  
  
“Taking you to bed so we can finish this”, Sehun mumbled determinedly, whirling around and cutting off Luhan’s predictable protest. “I know you’re worried and I can understand why, but I don’t think you realize how much I want this. You could never drive me away with this, not when I’m sure I’m already more than halfway in love with you, not when you’re the only person who has ever made me happy just by being by my side. So I need you to come with me now, get out of those clothes and fuck me until…”  
  
This time it was Luhan who silenced him with a kiss. He was yanked down with a single hard tug on his collar, teeth biting down painfully on his own lower lip, but he didn’t even care. Luhan was kissing him, pressing closer with an urgency he felt resonating in his own chest and with a sound of painful relief he felt any trace of hesitation draining out of the older man.  
  
“I’m pretty sure I’m more than halfway in love with you as well, god help me. But if you don’t tell me as soon as you realize we’re going too fast or too far, I will kick your delectable ass. Do you understand?”, Luhan hissed as he buried his fingers in Sehun’s hair and dragged him down for another wet, open-mouthed kiss. As far as confessions went theirs certainly hadn’t been the most romantic ones, but then nothing about their relationship had ever been normal.  
  
The elder all but growled into their kiss as he herded Sehun against the wall, lips dragging down over his jaw, so he could press suckling kisses to the younger’s arched neck... kisses that had Sehun’s fingers digging into Luhan’s back with something bordering on greedy desperation.  
  
“I promise. I… _oh fuck_!”  
  
The curse was more of a keening wail, body surging against Luhan’s as he felt the other’s teeth scrape over a taut tendon. It was close to impossible to keep a straight thought at the heat of Luhan against his front, at the things that mouth was doing to his neck and seconds later he was being dragged away from the wall and down the hallway into the bedroom. The younger just arched his neck farther and clutched at Luhan’s back, pulling at the resisting fabric of the elder’s shirt and yanking it up until they had to part again to get it off completely. The next second Sehun was relieved of his own shirt and pushed down on the bed, body bouncing once on the springy mattress, as he took in the fantastic view and raised himself up on his elbows. But when he opened his mouth to order Luhan to hurry up and get his ass into bed with him, the older man suddenly froze just two steps away.  
  
“Dammit, give me a minute and get out of your clothes.”  
  
With that he wheeled around on his heels and dashed out of the room, leaving a stunned Sehun, mouth slack with disbelief, lying on the bed. It was the sound of the bathroom cabinet slamming shut that pulled him out of his frozen state and he barely had enough time to shuck off his pants and by now too tight briefs, before Luhan was back, bottle of lube and a pack of condoms clutched in his hands.  
  
For a second Sehun thought he should probably feel embarrassed, lying there sprawled out on the bed, completely naked, but it was simply impossible to feel anything but the headiest surge of confidence and lust at the way Luhan was looking at him. There was an appreciative, almost hungry glint in the elder’s eyes as he let his gaze travel over his body and Sehun felt goose bumps rising on his flesh, feeling the heated gaze like a caress. Simultaneously, it was practically impossible to tear his own gaze away from Luhan, not that he actually tried. Standing at the edge of the bed, hair a beautiful mess, lean, ripped torso bare and erection clearly straining against the front of his jeans, he looked so painfully gorgeous, Sehun felt an impatient whine pushing at his throat.  
  
“Hurry up!”  
  
His impatient order had Luhan jolting into action, stripping out of the remainder of his clothes, without ever taking his eyes off Sehun and this time the whine slipped over the younger’s lips without any chance of holding it in. A moment later the mattress was dipping under Luhan’s weight as he joined him on the bed and Sehun didn’t waste another moment to pull him in and greedily fuse their lips together  
  
“Don’t you dare tell me we’re going too fast again. I don’t care! I want you!”  
  
Sehun knew he might just explode from wanting Luhan and luckily the smirk that hot tempered statement earned him didn’t look anything like potential rejection or rationality.  
  
“Get on your hands and knees.”  
  
_Oh God._  
  
It felt like Sehun was turned around and raising himself up in that purely submissive position before Luhan’s order even truly registered, goose bumps roughening his skin at the feeling of being utterly exposed like this.  
  
“I thought about this.” Luhan’s voice was a hot caress against his skin, the uncapping of the bottle of lube in the tense silence of the room a sound almost as beautiful, but it was the first touch of a cool, slick finger to his slightly fluttering rim that had him choking on an encouraging gasp. “All those times you ran around in those goddamn ripped jeans I could barely think of anything but shoving you down on your hands and knees and fucking you until they were red and rubbed raw from the carpet.”  
  
Sehun felt his cock give a slight jerk at the images those words had blooming in his mind, breath exploding from his lungs on a needy whine as he pushed back on the single digit teasing his way torturously slowly into him.  
  
“It was driving me half crazy, when another part of me just wanted to pull you close, tuck you under my shoulder and hold you until the morning. I was constantly caught between the urge to protect you and have you wrecked and moaning beneath me. So tell me, Sehunnie? What am I supposed to do with you?”  
  
He could barely think straight as Luhan determinedly, but carefully worked another finger into him alongside the first, curling and scissoring them until he deemed him ready for a third and had Sehun panting and arching helplessly under him.  
  
“Both!”, crying out on a sharp moan with his face pressed into the pillow, he bucked his hips against Luhan’s hand again, before he raised himself up on his forearms and craned his neck until he could look at the elder over his shoulder. “First you fuck me and then you can hold me until morning.”  
  
That earned him a clearly approving hum from the elder, just to have him suddenly withdrawing his fingers. Before Sehun could gather himself enough to protest, Luhan was talking again.  
  
“Good answer. Now turn around.”  
  
Scrambling to obey the gentle order, Sehun quickly turned onto his back, finally able to look at Luhan again and the sight of the older man lowering himself over him again, eyes intent and alight with appreciation, had him swallowing through a dry and suddenly tight throat.  
  
Luhan sucked sharply on the skin over his collarbones, teeth biting down for a mere second, and the small, pinpricks of pain did nothing but fuel his greed to give more. More of the wrecked, needy moans he seemed incapable of holding in, more of his desire-flushed skin beneath those sure, generous hands, just more, more, _more_. Hips bucking up to get him some desperately needed friction, he almost sobbed with relief when he felt the elder’s fingers pushing through the slick ring of muscles again.  
  
He found himself clamping down on Luhan’s slim digits as they slowly slipped into him, his muscles working as if to draw him deeper and it pulled a deep groan from the elder as he watched his fingers pulling out and pushing back into Sehun’s slick hole. The older man’s eyes were wide, color high on his cheeks and coupled with the heady sensation of Luhan’s steady thrusting, it had Sehun’s throat aching in a desperate attempt to keep back the loud sounds trying to burst free. His hips were moving on their own accord, bucking up for a deeper touch and that was when Luhan did it again. Adjusting the angle of his fingers, he barely dragged his fingers over that spongy bundle of nerves inside of him and heat exploded low in Sehun’s belly, wrenching another gasp from him. Sehun was throwing his head from side to side, body twisting as if to draw away from the elder, but his hips kept on pressing down on the three fingers buried inside of him.  
  
And for a crazy second Sehun thought he could come like this, stretched around Luhan’s fingers and so fucking turned on, the tip of his still completely untouched cock was almost brushing against the skin of his stomach. He looked at Luhan watching him from under his sweaty fringe with attentive, heavy lidded eyes, even though it was almost impossible to keep his eye-lids from fluttering shut at the sharp sensation of being filled so completely. Breathing flat and irregular, he tightened his desperate grip on the rumpled sheets beneath him and tried to open his already impossibly wide-spread thighs even more.  
  
“Luhan, I want you inside me.”  
  
His gasping plea had a smile tugging on Luhan’s lips and Sehun thought he might go crazy from wanting him so much. He was so gorgeous, all sweaty confidence, lazy satisfaction and that underlying current of affection and Sehun wanted him. _Needed him._  
  
“So impatient. So eager.”  
  
But for all his mock admonishment, Sehun could detect the same need in Luhan’s eyes, feel it in his lingering, claiming touches and see it in the hurried impatience of the elder’s movements as he rolled on the condom and grappled with the bottle of lube to slick himself up. The knowledge of being wanted so much was as heady as the elder’s deep kiss and the pressure of Luhan’s cock against his entrance as the elder brought himself in position.  
  
Luhan didn’t stop kissing him, not at the first push inside, not at the way Sehun’s back arched off the bed at the sharp, burning stretch or the way the ring of muscles fluttered around his length in untried resistance. He just kept on suckling on the swell of the younger’s bottom lip, reached for one of Sehun’s hand and interlocked their fingers as he pressed their clasped hands into the pillow over their heads. With a last slow roll of his hips Luhan pushed all the way inside of him and while the pain of being stretched so completely around the elder’s cock was simply impossible to ignore, there wasn’t a part of him that wanted to stop. Instead he just wanted him closer and closer still. The smaller’s first slow thrust had Sehun choking on a blissful moan and before he knew it, his free hand was letting go of the linen sheets and settling on the curve of Luhan’s ass, squeezing as if he could possibly draw him deeper. He felt big, so solid inside of him, length dragging along his inner walls and while the slow, steady pace had white spots exploding all over his field of vision, it wasn’t enough. He wanted Luhan to feel the same kind of bone-melting pleasure, wanted him incoherent and restless with greed, until he would forget all about being careful and give him everything.  
  
“Luhan! More… please. I need more.”  
  
He barely recognized his own voice, pleading and strained beyond its usual limit, but he didn’t care, not when he saw and felt the way Luhan shuddered hotly at his words. Clenching down on Luhan’s length at his next thrust was pure instinct. And so was Luhan’s sharp snap of hips that shoved Sehun several inches up the bed, stunned pleasure washing over his face on a choked moan. The sound was raw, startled as the elder pitched forward with another involuntary thrust, before he caught himself with his forearms braced against the mattress next to Sehun’s head and touched his forehead down on the younger’s shoulder.  
  
“Fuck.”  
  
The feeling of Luhan’s hot, shuddering breath skimming over his sweat dampened skin was nearly drowned out by the pleasure of those two deep thrusts, but he still felt it. Just like he felt Luhan’s hip bones pressing against the insides of his thighs, the smooth skin of his back under Sehun’s fingers or that warm, trembling hand now cupping the side of his face. There was a question in the older man’s eyes, gaze intent as he looked down at him, but instead of taking the risk to open his mouth and let the barrage of pleas escape, Sehun simply raised himself up until he could reach Luhan’s lips and fused their mouths together for another long, deceptively lazy kiss.  
  
He almost sobbed in relief when he felt the muscles of Luhan’s back tensing under his hands in preparation to move. Luhan hooked his arms under Sehun’s knees, splaying them wide, braced his arms against the mattress and then he took him. Fucked him until his already thready voice grew raw and hoarse with cries of “faster”, “harder” and the elder’s name. Until his tightly closed eyes snapped open and met Luhan’s intent, pleasure-hazed gaze as he gave him what he had begged for so desperately. Slow rolls of his hips, making Sehun grapple desperately at his back with frantic fingers and pleading whines dying in the back of this throat, to fast, sharp jabs that had the taller’s back arching off the bed and hips bucking up in mindless abandon.  
  
He didn’t last long. It was almost embarrassing considering that Luhan hadn’t even touched his cock, but the elder’s deep, driving thrusts and the occasional, almost teasing friction of Luhan’s stomach dragging along his erection was enough to have his body going bowstring-tight, fingers clinging to the smaller’s sweat-sheened back and stomach tensing in breathless anticipation. Another sharp roll of his hips and Luhan drove him over the edge into a violent, trembling orgasm. Scalding pleasure skittered along his nerves like the burn of electricity, as his inner muscles clamped down on Luhan’s length, fucking him through his release. Even through the haze of pleasure, he felt the elder tense above him with a sharply indrawn breath, Sehun’s come hot and sticky between them, so despite the rapid draining of his energy he did his best to keep on clenching down on Luhan’s cock inside of him.  
  
The next second Luhan was coming, breath hot against the sweat-damp skin of Sehun’s shoulder as he buried his face in the curve of his neck and Sehun didn’t think he had ever felt anything more amazing than the older man’s rippling shivers or fingers digging hard into the skin of Sehun’s hips.  
  
The silence that followed felt a bit like the aftermath of an explosion, with both of them clinging to each other and desperately trying to get their bearings, heartbeats racing and breathing ragged, but seemingly still not enough to provide them with all the air they needed. It almost seemed like hours before Sehun felt capable of moving or a single coherent thought again.  
  
“Sex is great. I love sex.”  
  
That had Luhan snorting out a hoarse laugh, before he untangled himself from the younger, pressed a last quick kiss to the shallow dip between his collarbones and pushed himself up with a groan.  
  
“Come on, we’re both disgusting. Let’s take a quick shower.”  
  
Luhan’s orgasm must have done more damage than expected if he truly thought Sehun was about to go _anywhere_. The bed was great, he liked the bed, he wanted to stay right there and never leave, so with a sound that was more hiss than actual whine, he buried his face in the pillow and clutched at the sheets in a way he hoped would get his complete unwillingness to move a single muscle across to the elder. But of course Luhan was Luhan and he always got what he wanted. Even if it meant half-dragging Sehun into the bathroom and holding him upright throughout the entire shower. In retaliation the younger only stopped complaining by the time they crawled back into bed, still damp after Luhan’s half-assed and haphazard attempt at drying them off, and Luhan pulled him against his chest with a possessive arm around his waist and light kiss to the curve of his neck.  
  
  
☆  
  
  
Sehun didn’t know how long he slept, but he woke to the feeling of fingers stroking through his hair and quiet, but insistent murmurs of “Wake up, Sehun”. He couldn’t quite identify the sound that left his mouth when he eventually realized Luhan wasn’t going to stop, but it sounded like something caught between a quiet, croaked wail and sleepy purr, because even though he just wanted to stay right there, nestled into the crook of Luhan’s arm and warm blankets, the elder’s gentle petting felt too good for him to go back to sleep.  
  
“Come on, Sehun. I have to leave for my afternoon shift in an hour and I want to make sure you actually eat breakfast… well, more like lunch now.”  
  
His answer was to bury his face deeper into the crook of the smaller’s neck, feeling the vibrations of the other’s exasperated sigh against his lips and tighten the arm he had obviously thrown around Luhan during the night. Getting out of bed was seriously the last thing he wanted to do.  
  
“Alright, Sehunnie”, and even though his next words were firm, his voice was amused, indulgent. “I really have to get up, so that means you’ll have to let go now. And you better not fall asleep while I’m in the bathroom.”  
  
A humiliatingly short and one-sided wrestle match later, Luhan had freed himself and got out of bed with a hard smack of Sehun’s ass. The blonde’s insulted squawk was muffled by the blankets he had buried his face in after losing his way more comfortable human pillow, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hear the elder’s entirely too pleased cackles perfectly well. Still, by the time the water was turned on in the bathroom, Sehun was already back asleep, just to be rudely awoken a few measly minutes later by another slap, this time to the other butt cheek.  
  
“What did I tell you about going back to sleep?”  
  
“I hate you.”  
  
It was the grumpiest of growls, but Luhan seemed completely uncaring, his response cheerful to the point of obnoxiousness.  
  
“I know. Now get your pretty ass out of bed and wash up. I’ll get started on breakfast… or lunch. Whatever.”  
  
He was tempted, thoroughly tempted to make a comment about the dangers of Luhan trying to produce anything edible, but decided he just didn’t have the energy for it, instead resigning himself to just doing what he was told. It was clear the smaller man wasn’t going to let him be until he did.  
  
By the time Sehun dragged himself into the cramped kitchen, still half asleep, despite brushing his teeth – grumpily – and washing his face – grumpily as well – Luhan was already busy at work. To his great relief Luhan’s definition of ‘getting started on breakfast’ meant warming up the previous night’s leftovers.  
  
Shuffling farther into the room he hoisted himself onto the kitchen counter and stifled a shocked gasp at the sudden pain shooting up his back. He had felt surprisingly well this morning, but apparently this move had been a tad too optimistic. It was a good thing that Luhan was too busy trying to decide on the best amount of minutes for the microwave’s timer to notice Sehun’s grimace.  
  
But when Luhan flitted past him the next time, probably to get plates and chopsticks, Sehun reached for the hem of his shirt and tugged him back, being met with no resistance from the elder as he pulled him between his spread legs and in for a long overdue kiss. Immediately Luhan’s hands went to his thighs, fingers splaying wide and tightening on his firm flesh and Sehun whined into Luhan’s generous, busy mouth. The needy sound had Luhan pulling away with a clearly amused grin, whispering a late “Morning”, before he lightly bit down on Sehun’s full lower lip and gave it a quick, painless tug. Another sleepy whine and Sehun felt himself being tugged towards the edge of the counter until they were pressed together as closely as it was possible with the slightly weird angle.  
  
“Are you in pain?”  
  
It was a soft, but sober murmur against his jaw, as Luhan moved his mouth downwards and pressed the softest of kisses to his skin. Before Sehun could give in to the automatic urge to deny any kind of discomfort, though, Luhan pulled away just enough to give him a carefully warning stare.  
  
“The truth, Sehun.”  
  
His heart gave a hard clench at the realization how well Luhan knew him, without actually knowing anything about him, more painful than anything the other man was asking about. It was no wonder his voice was a bit unsteady when he finally managed to unlock his throat enough to speak.  
  
“Just a little bit. It’s not bad, I swear.”  
  
Doubt was written all over that beautiful face, as Luhan searched his eyes for one of Sehun’s easily detectable lies, but he must have read the truth in his statement, leaning forward again for another quick kiss.  
  
“Good”, Luhan whispered against his lips and Sehun’s stomach flooded with warmth at the relief and territorial protectiveness in that deep, smooth voice.  
  
“I’m really fine. Which is why I want you to fuck me again tonight. As soon as you come back from work.”  
  
The flash of heat in the other’s eyes was only outweighed by the immediate, instinctive worry and because Sehun knew Luhan was going to say they should wait, knew he was going to say he wasn’t ready when Sehun could already feel the need for the other man building up inside of him again, he quickly pressed on, just kept talking so Luhan didn’t have a chance to say no. It was only after the heard the stunned sound of Luhan’s sharp intake of breath that he realized what he had just said.  
  
“And I don’t want you to ever do this with anyone except me for the rest of our lives.”  
  
It had simply slipped out, coming from a scared, savagely possessive part inside of him that raked its claws down his insides at the mere thought of Luhan ever touching someone like he had touched Sehun last night, of sharing that with anyone else ever again. And even though it didn’t make it any less true, Sehun really hadn’t meant to say it out loud. It wasn’t the right moment for it. Not with Luhan about to leave for work, not with that many things left unsaid between them and Sehun hiding so much from the other. But he couldn’t take it back now.  
  
_Didn’t want_ to take it back.  
  
And all the things he had expected as a response, certainly didn’t include for Luhan to raise both his hands, cup Sehun’s face and dip his chin until he could look him straight in the eye. Air left the blonde’s lungs in a stunned whoosh at the look of fierce conviction on the other’s face.  
  
“I won’t.”  
  
It was a ridiculous promise to make. Just as much as it had been an utterly ridiculous request. No one could tell what was going to happen, not with all the significant secrets Sehun still kept from Luhan, but then a part of him just _knew._  
  
This was it.  
  
Despite the fact that their future was as uncertain as it could be, Sehun just knew. And from the way Luhan pulled him in, lips taking Sehun’s in a deep, almost reverent kiss, and held him there for so long, their food was going cold again in the microwave, he was sure Luhan did as well.  
  
  
☆  
  
  
The last surge of angelic power Sehun would ever experience hit him harder than any other before. Keeping close to Luhan’s side on the crowded sidewalk, having decided to walk Luhan to the bus stop, before paying Jongin a long overdue visit, he almost stumbled under the violent shove of power flaring up in chest, even though it was practically drowned out by the wrenching panic following right on its heels, instinctive knowledge that it was Luhan's turn a heavy, icy weight in his gut.  
  
He didn't give himself time to look around, to find out what or _who_ it was that was meant to change Luhan's fate, _to take him away from him_. It was a thought too painful to even consider, mind rejecting the image of Luhan with someone else as if it knew that it would destroy a part of Sehun he couldn't afford to lose. The need to act was too strong to bear and Sehun, frantically battling against the compulsion to give his gift free reign, reached forward and swallowed down the knowledge that it was the single most selfish act of his entire life. But he couldn't even find it in him to feel remorse as he slipped his fingers between Luhan's, pressed their palms together and shifted closer until Luhan's arm brushed against his with every step. And suddenly he was too distracted, too mesmerized by the happy contentment on the other’s face, to notice the hissing of his power quieting to a content hum. He didn't know what was going on, how to stop the warm swell of emotion growing stronger and stronger inside of him, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from Luhan either.  
  
The other must have felt it as well, eyes widening and grip on Sehun's hand growing almost painfully tight for a breathless second, or he had simply noticed the fierce glint of protectiveness and longing in Sehun's eyes, but whatever it was, it left them both reeling. The sounds of their breaths catching in their throats, the violent rushing of blood in his ears, the painful pounding of his heart, the tightening of his throat and chest, it almost became too much. The intensity of his emotion was downright scary and it was only when Luhan gave his hand a much gentler squeeze that Sehun was able to drag in a deep gulping breath, lungs protesting the rough treatment.  
  
“Sehun.”  
  
Luhan’s low voice wrapped itself around Sehun, felt as if it was burrowing under his skin, entranching itself into his chest. It felt like a claiming, a bonding of sorts, and Sehun wasn’t going to stop it. Instead he dragged the other man close, lowered his still spinning head and breathed him in with deep, heaving breaths, as he buried his face in the warm curve of Luhan’s neck. He stayed there, hunched over, clinging to the other and accepting that something had just irrevocably changed. He didn’t understand it, knew it might just end in clawing heartbreak for the both of them.  
  
Luhan was a human, Sehun was an angel.  
  
Luhan would age and die, while Sehun wouldn’t. Not like this.  
  
And as he felt Luhan’s arm band around him protectively, felt his other hand settle carefully at the small of his back, warmth spreading beneath his touch, Sehun slowly turned his head and pressed a shaky kiss to Luhan’s jaw.  
  
Sehun had never considered falling. Not until Luhan. Not until now.  
  



End file.
